


Bulletproof

by oxygenlove



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, Drabble, M/M, nonAU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 22:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17272244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oxygenlove/pseuds/oxygenlove
Summary: Hiding doesn't mean you don't get wounded.





	Bulletproof

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this after 4/1 and thought it still applies after 1/1 :)

Beneath stage boards and amidst metal crates, muffled screams and cheers of crowds who paid to be entertained-

“What were you doing? Touching me like that? We talked about this. We agreed, hyung. You can’t keep doing this. This isn’t fair.”

“I’m trying my best, Jongin. But sometimes, my body just forgets.”

Jongin sighs, exasperated. He knows what Kyungsoo means, knows how difficult it is to correct unconscious habits, knows how hard it is to catch himself reaching out, limbs remembering the path to Kyungsoo’s waist, the way to Kyungsoo’s heart.

“Then try harder.”

Kyungsoo’s lips tighten into a straight line, furrowed eyebrows casting shadows on his face. And there it is like always, the desire to reach and smooth out the hard lines on Kyungsoo’s brow with the pad of his thumb. Jongin clenches his fists to his side and sighs, eyes softening but lips still frozen.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I just — ”

“I know.”

“- it’s hard. I’m doing my best. _We_ should be doing our best. Things will die down eventually.”

“But we can’t bring it back to how it used to, your reputation. And we can’t undo all the harm it has done to you. I can’t just sit here and let you take all the hits.”

“I know. That’s why we need to behave. _You_ need to behave. I’m just trying to protect you — “

“Is _this_ what you call protecting me? Jumping in front of me and taking all the bullets for the both of us?”

“Hyung — ”

“You can’t protect me if you’re dead, Jongin.”

Jongin stops, breathes, then smiles bitterly.

“Better me than the both of us.”

**Author's Note:**

> i took off time from fandom last year due to personal reasons but i wanted to post this because... here we go again, sm.
> 
>  
> 
> although maybe this time they realized sudden distance between two ~bros~ after one of them gets involved in a dating scandal isn't a #justbros thing to do. who knows. we'll see.


End file.
